MetroSpokane

Let it Breathe...

An interesting transformation is taking place at the old J.C. Penny's building downtown.  Never really an impressive building, it always seemed like some kind of a placeholder in downtown's urban fabric; a big brick box pretty much describes it to this day.  Part of the challenge with the building as it relates to the street is it's mass.  Blame it on the 70's.  The original parcels in downtown ran at 25' to 50' intervals giving pedestrians an ever changing experience as they passed from building to building.  Contrary to this pattern, the Penney's building ran the full length.  Looking north across Main to the Riverpark Square you can see how they've tried to recreate this older massing of smaller parcels and storefronts that are more human in scale. 

Still, we're excited to see the Penny's building finally opening up to the street.  We took some photos today of the new Penney's.  The blank walls are being carved up, and the second and third floors are finally seeing some light.  Though the massing is unchanged, the building is finally giving back to the street it occupies.

Fill 'er Up!

Isn't two plus years long enough?  Apparently not.  In 2002, what was an eclectic barber shop/home in Browne's Addition was rumored to become a bike shop.  Soon after the property changed hands, the demolition began and the house that contained the barbershop was lifted, and a new foundation poured.  Then...nothing.  Somewhere along the line the plans didn't quite work out, and well, the sawsalls took care of the rest.  Now nearly three years on nothing but a hole draped with a temporary cyclone fence remains.

While a very nice drawing of what the proposed redevelopment will look like has been floating around for many-a-month on the MLS, the hole still remains.  For a cool $1.6 Million it could be yours.   The plans sound absolutely dreamy:

Fabulous Browne's Addition location next to the Elk Restaurant, Cabin Coffee & across the street from the Old Cannon Street Grill! Brand new building to be built and customized for you! The main floor will be a 2-car tandem garage, the 2nd & 3rd floors will have 2,200 sq. ft. each, the basement will have 1,200 sq. ft. & there will be a 2,000 roof-top garden! Finished as a shell with elevator and all mechanical! One of a kind opportunity!

It's likely the foundation is shot having been exposed for this long and probably wouldn't work with the proposed design anyways.  Still, it's a mystery to us as to how the businesses, property owners, and renters in the neighborhood can find this acceptable.  It looks like Browne's Addition could take some hints on activism from the Moran Prairie neighborhood as they take on the world's largest corporation.  Until then, we'd settle for the owners simply filling it.